Deniece Cornejo yields after 2 weeks in hiding

With a scarf covering the cuffs on her hands, Deniece Cornejo is accompanied by her lawyer as she surrenders to authorities at Camp Crame, ending nearly two weeks of hiding from the law. PHOTO by Niño Jesus Orbeta

MANILA, Philippines—Fugitive model Deniece Cornejo surrendered on Monday afternoon to police authorities after nearly two weeks in hiding.

Cornejo is one of the accused in the serious illegal detention case filed by actor and TV host Vhong Navarro. The charge is a nonbailable offense.

Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Supt. Reuben Theodore Sindac said that Cornejo arrived in Camp Crame with her granduncle, Rod Cornejo, around 4 p.m.

She met with PNP Director General Alan Purisima in his office where they had a “short conversation,” Sindac said, adding that Purisima had assured Cornejo of fair and proper treatment.

At press time, she was undergoing the required investigative processes at the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group office.

Cornejo’s coaccused, businessman Cedric Lee and Zimmer Raz, were arrested last week by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Eastern Samar. Still being sought are Jed Fernandez and Ferdinand Guerrero while another accused, Jose Paolo Calma, was able to leave the country.

The warrants against Cornejo et al. were issued by Judge Paz Ezperanza Marquez on April 21.

In January, Navarro was beaten up by the accused after he supposedly tried to rape Cornejo inside her Taguig condominium unit. The TV host, however, denied the allegation, claiming that the whole thing was set up by Lee who wanted to extort money from him.

Navarro filed multiple cases against the group while Cornejo charged him with rape, a complaint later dismissed by the justice department for lack of evidence.